


The heart of Christmas

by Ilyasviel



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: AU - Destruction ending but EDI/Geth survived, Christmas Fluff, Declarations Of Love, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 09:56:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13385397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyasviel/pseuds/Ilyasviel
Summary: They have won. Shepard has made it, destroying the Reapers and ending the war. But at a high cost. She has been recovering from the wounds for months, and now, precisely on Xmas eve, she will be released from the hospital.James can't wait to have her at home and has worked very hard to create the perfect eve for her.





	The heart of Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GuileandGall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuileandGall/gifts).



> This is my present for the lovely GuileandGall for the Holiday Harbinger! Happy new year! <3
> 
> It has been a pleasure writing it for you, love! Hope you like my little Shega fluff ;)
> 
> Is non-betaed, excuse any typos it may have >_< and let me know what you think about it!!

Waves and singing seagulls is the sound that wake ups James this cold winter morning. The warm of the blankets and comforter is too tempting right now, and he wraps himself even more with them. But after some minutes his brain uses to  come back to life, he opens his eyes, blinking rapidly to get used to the sun that is painting abstract shapes on the rug. Turning over his  back , he takes a peek to the clock beside the bed, is barely  9AM , he has time enough. Because  today is the day.  Today Jane will come home at last and is fucking Christmas! Chawkas must been done something with Shepard’s doctors to let her  come back precisely  today .

 

After stretching his body  like a cat,  James sits up, bones cracking soundly  when he turns his neck  side to  side .  He still has time to do everything he needs to do, but better to not laze around more than necessary.  The orange light of his omnitool brights in the semidarkness of the room  when he turns it on while standing up,  he needs to confirm how many of their friends  will be there tonight.  James checks his private  messages while walking barefoot to  the bathroom . Jack   will pick her up at  5PM , and Tali, Grunt, Liara and Miranda  will arrive home  around that  time too. Chawkas  will come later to not raise her suspicions,  like Hacket. Joker says they only  will come if he can select the playlist for the party, “Damn pilot!” The automated lights  turns on as soon as he steps inside  the bathroom ,  still focused on reading the  messages . Just below Joker’s he finds one from  EDI , confirming their attendance and begging him to ignore Jeff’s mail.  The rest of the team  will arrive during the evening. They invited everyone of the Normandy’s crew. 

 

He was a big smile plastered on his face while he turns on the shower, closing the bath screen behind him and letting the water fall over his shoulders. The stupid grin seems to have taken home in his face for the rest of the shower. The idea of having her with him, at home, after so many months… his heart beats faster just thinking on showing her all the corners of their home, the little things they have selected from a screen during her long in-patient days. But at last, after all the war, all the suffering while she wakes up from the coma, the long rehabilitation sessions, she will come home. The word makes his chest to fill of love mixed with nervousness. They talked, long and without a purpose during his nights of vigil. Lots of stupid things have been in the front of their minds, but at the end, their love won the discussions, and he asked her to live together the same night she stops pushing him away because of the fear her broken body provoked on her. 

 

A ping of his omnitool makes him finish  the shower sooner than planned. It was a call from Steve, “Hey, Estebán!”

 

The voice of the shuttle pilot reverberated in the closed bathroom, “Hello, Vega. Big day, huh?”

 

White towels wait for him outside  the shower , and he picks  the biggest one , beginning to work on drying off his skin, “ The biggest one .  Are you two still available to come and help with the cooking?”

 

Kaidan’s voice sounds from far away, but clear enough, “Of course we  will ! You can’t serve tacos on Xmas eve!”

 

James huffs, finishing with the  towel before hanging it on a  towel bar, “I  can ! But  I will not because she loves  turkey and  I will provide. ETA?”

 

The soft laugh of Steve travels through the line, making a little smile show on  James ’ face, “ We can be there in an hour.  Turkey needs a lot of  time .” 

 

“And good hands too! And mine are perfect for this mission, love.” Kaidan’s voice sounds closer this  time , and the words are followed by a sound kiss and a chuckle from  Steve . “ We will be there as soon as  we can ,  James . Do you  need anything ?  We can stop at  the shop on our way there.”

 

“I believe I have everything we will need. Anyway, we can go to the shop once you two are here in case we need anything.”

 

Kaidan and Steve talk at the same time, “Perfect!” and the word is followed by a giggle from both of them.

 

The younger man is happy for them, but likes a bit too much teasing them, “ Old men in love! You are too sappy for me.”

 

“Who are you calling  old , Commander?”

 

James can’t hide the smile on his voice while answering  Kaidan , “You, Admiral. Being  the younger of the lot didn’t  make you less  old , ya know it, right?”

 

Steve’s deep laugh breaks their exchanging, and for the way  Kaidan joins him,  James knows he is pinching him or hitting his ribs. Kaidan’s voice returns to the channel, feigned offence clearly written on it, “Sure, lad. Because seven years  make you a toddler in comparison with us, huh?”

 

“Whatever, daddy.  Now move your old asses here and help me cook the perfect Xmas dinner, will you?”

 

Now is Steven’s turn to laugh hard, “How can we say no when you ask it so nicely?”

 

With a lopsided grin, James leaves the bathroom at last, “ See you soon.  Now if you don’t mind, I’m beginning to feel pretty uncomfortable talking with you  two while naked.”

 

“Too much info! See you later! And we hope you remember to wear your pants then.”

 

The closet door sounds when he moves closer, “ I’ll try my best.  I’ll take a piece for every five minutes late you arrive, be warned.”

 

The grunt from the other two men is the only answer James will receive, because a second later the comm closed. The grin on his face just grows when he picks up his usual clothes, the black shirt and jeans for the night hung ready for later. After searching for some underwear, the nice ones, he put on his clothes before opening the windows of the room, taking a deep breath of the salty air. She has been the one suggesting to buy a home near the beach, knowing how much he misses the sea. Those cold waters of Canada are not the same as California, but the view is ten times better, and she was here. Not even the the most beautiful home on Los Angeles or San Pedro will appeal him to leave this city. His home will be where she lives, for the rest of his life or as long as she wants him beside her. 

 

Blue waters, with lines of gold painted by the sun, greets him when he turns his attention to the sea. Seagulls fly low near the dock, trying to steal some fish from the boats. The mountains that framed the sea had been a shock to him when he has found the house, but the contrast is breathtaking. Grey rocks, almost black thanks to the moist created by the fog, sinks directly into the dark blue waters. Patches of green dot the rocky sides here and there, adding a new layer to the landscape. He has made thousands of photos and videos to show her, and she has fallen in love with the place almost immediately. He has bought the place next day and has begun ordering furniture with her every night for the last four months. The house will have her touch even if she hasn’t put a single foot here yet. And hell if the place didn’t scream Shepard in every room! From the colour of the curtains to the art decorating the walls, everything has been decided between the two of them, while he laid beside her in the hospital bed, on the long nights of vigil while she healed her body properly. But there are some secrets she didn’t know about. Like the enormous Xmas tree he has acquired just for her, or the showcases lined around the house containing every one of the models they have worked on during their Normandy days and after them. Or the framed picture that presides the living room, the one taken during the Citadel party, with all the old friends. On each side of it lays a pic, one of Anderson with Shepard after her Spectre nomination, on the other side, one of Legion with EDI, took during their days on the Normandy before Rachnoch. On the mantelpiece lays her old N7 helmet, the Volus stuffed toy Zaeed got for her on the Citadel, a piece of art Kasumi gifted her before disappearing again, and last of all, but not less important, a box containing the first flower he gave her when she woke up. A red rose, in stasis, keeping its grace and symbolism alive until they open it. And he plans to open it tonight, his present is stored inside it, together with a promise for a better life, for both of them.

 

The siren of a boat  leaving the docks breaks his reverie, and he smiles to the landscapes, stepping away from the window before beginning to tidy up  the bedroom , changing the sheets, checking that everything is in place over the nightstands and drawers…All  will be perfect  by the time she  reaches their home for the first  time . It is a promise he made to himself and he  will fight with his life to keep it.  Leaving the bedroom, he takes a quick look around the house, moving things here and there, making sure there is not even a speck of dust over the furniture. 

 

By the time he reaches the kitchen, almost an hour has passed, and he begins to stack the items they will need for cooking over the big island. The front door bell rings and he stormed to it, opening the door to find a smiling Steve carrying a big brown paper bag on his arms, while Kaidan unloads another two from the car. With an arm leaning on the door frame, he looks at the two men coming up the front stairs with a raised brow, “If I remember correctly, I said you didn’t have to bring anything, right? I didn’t dream having that conversation.”

 

“Yeah, you  said that, but we read between lines and brought more booze and dextro food.” Kaidan is standing behind  Steve , not a slightest trace of remorse on his smiling face.  “Now, be a good lad and help this old men to carry the bags inside.”

 

James pick up  the bag from  Steve , moving back  inside without waiting for them. The sound of the door closing, followed by steps over the rugged floors follow him  inside the kitchen. A metallic clang echoes  inside the room when he puts down  the bag in the counter, and once he looks  inside , he finds a good amount of wine and  brandy bottles . Kaidan reaches him first, putting his bags beside him, and pushing him with a shoulder, “I just wanted to have everything ready for this perfect  day ,  James . Don’t be mad at me. Today is the  day .”

 

Vega picks up one of the  brandy bottles , reading the name, “That’s  Garrus favourite. Any word from him? I still  didn’t know if he will make it.”

 

“I have, but not from him. I may have asked for a bit of  help here.  Wrex and  Bakara had travelled to  Palaven and  kidnaped him, with some  help from his family, don’t worry.” James chuckles, thinking on  Garrus ’ reaction when he sees  Wrex on his door. “Oh, but you  didn’t know the best part of it. Tali was with us on this, and she gave  Wrex full access to their home on  Palaven , with all the security codes. He has been  kidnaped , literally.  Bakara recorded it all. I  will show it during the dinner, Shepard  will laugh herself to tears, you’ll see.”

 

They are laughing hard when Steve leans a hip on the other side of the island, looking to the knolled items on the counter, “We  will enjoy the night, and the hateful glances from our favourite Turian.  But now, we have a turkey to cook!”

 

For the next hours, they dance around the kitchen, pushing here and there, teasing the shit out of one another, like the old friends and war buddies they are. James know for sure they are trying to distract him, because he has been very anxious thinking on this day, and Steve knows about his secret Xmas plan. And it is working, maybe too much, because midday arrive with them eating leftovers of the ingredients used for the  cooking , sharing a bottle of wine over the stoves. 

 

Around three o’clock, the starter dishes are done and stored in the fridge or the secondary oven, while the turkey Kaidan has seasoned is cooking slowly inside the oven. The kitchen smells deliciously, but all of them smell of spices and meat. Steve excuses himself to go to the car, they have thought about it and brought clean clothes. James leads Kaidan to the living room while waiting, and Kaidan sees the framed photo, smiling broadly to it, “She will love it, James.” His eyes move around the room, taking in the little details. He hasn’t been there since they have helped James to paint the house. It looks cosy and has Shepard’s signature everywhere. His gaze ends on the boxed flower, and he moves closer to it. Steve has confided in him James’ secret, and he can’t wait to hear about it tomorrow. Kaidan will bet his own life on James’ good omens, because Shepard is madly in love with him, and the way he will declare to her? She will melt for sure. Trying to hide his knowledge, he moves down his eyes, fixing them on the Christmas stocking hanging from the mantelpiece. It has one for Shepard, one for James, and surprisingly, one for Grunt. Well, is not that surprising, Shepard consider him her son, to the rest of the world dismay, except Wrex and Bakara. James is changing the order of the presents under the tree again when Steve steps inside the room. “We have brought some more boxes to add to that pile, Vega.” When the younger man turns to face him, his arms are full of packages, some big, some tiny, making Kaidan chuckle and mutter a _‘you can have asked for help,_ _love_ _’_. 

 

Between the two of them, they take the load from Steve’s hand and  James kneels again in front of  the tree , ready to add them to the ever growing pile. “I  will assume each of them is tagged correctly?”

 

“Yeah.  Kaidan has checked it twice before loading them inside the car. No danger of giving lingerie to a Krogan.”

 

James chuckles, beginning to stack the boxes where he  can under  the tree . “Nice to  know . I just finished decorating the house,  will prefer to keep all my furniture intact after the end of the night.”

 

Steve was still near the door, handbag hanging from his shoulder, “Do you mind if we take a shower too? We  can use the guest  room .”

 

“Sure thing, man. You  know where it is, suit yourselves.”

 

Kaidan closes the distant to  Steve , and he beckons to him with a sweet  smile plastered  on his face , “Follow me, sweetheart.”

 

The pair left the room, and James finishes ordering the boxes. Taking a last glance to the tree, he can’t fight the smile growing on his face. Shepard will love it. She has always talked about how much she missed this, the Xmas spirit, with family and friends around a table and tons of tiny boxes to unwrap after the dinner. And he plans to give her the best Christmas eve of her life. The alarm he has put on his omnitool beeps, signalling that is four o'clock, and Shepard will be here soon, he has to hurry. Storming outside of the room, he climbs the stairs two at a time, stepping inside his room and fishing for the clothes he has prepared for the night before moving into the bathroom. He takes a quick shower, shaving and taking care of his hair to a perfect state. The cologne she has gifted him for his birthday waits for him on the cabinet, and he puts it on, just to please her when she smells it on him. He examines himself in the big mirror on the wall after dressing up. The war has took his toll on him too and yet, still a good-lookin' guy. New scars cover his face and arms, but he has kept a strict training regime, to keep his body fit for service, even if he just trains the new recruits on the HQ and coordinates the teams with the rest of the Council races. He has new ink to show her, but it is a secret one, the kind that brings a stupid grin to his face every time he thinks about it. 

 

The doorbell ringing makes him jump, and he tidies up the room quickly before running down the stairs. By the  time he reaches it,  Steve is already there, dressed in a button up shirt and  a pair of dark pants.  A pair of lilac arms appear, dragging him outside for a hug, and the chirpy voice of Tali fills the silence, “ Steve ! So glad to see you? Is my favourite  nerd treating you right?”

 

Kaidan is moving to them from the other side of the hallway, reaching them and pinching her  arm , forcing her to let his boyfriend go, “The  nerd is doing his part. Thank you for your vote of confidence, dear friend.”

 

Tali jumps to Kaidan’s  arm , making him turn around with the tiny Quarian hanging from his neck, “ Kaidan ! I missed you! You promised to visit! Rachnoch is so beautiful now!”

 

They keep chatting between them while Liara steps inside, giving a half hug to Steve and a wink to Kaidan. When she sees James, she steps inside of the house, followed by Miranda, who kisses soundly Steve’s cheek. When the Asari stops in front of James, and the marine opens his arms for her. She didn’t jump like Tali, but the feel is pretty much there when they melt in a hug, with Liara hiding her face on James neck and he pats her back lovingly. “James. The day is here at last.”

 

“Yeah. She will be here soon, and we  can declare this battle won too.”

 

She  pats his chest before pushing from him, eyes glistening when she locks their gazes, “She is our fighter.  If someone can push through all this was here, and she has outdone it, as always.  Did you have everything ready?”

 

“Almost. The food is ready, but the table needs to be set.”

 

Before they  can finish their conversation, the deep voice of Grunt reaches them, “Where’s my battle master? Is she here already?” His  arms are full of boxes and bags, making him look tiny in comparison, but he shadows over everyone  on the house , even  James . 

 

With a chuckle, Kaidan and Steve helps the Krogan with the boxes, patting his shoulders before picking up items on their  arms .  James winks at Liara before moving closer to the door, stopping time enough to hug Miranda and plant a kiss on Tali’s helmet, making her snort and clean it against  James ’ back. “Not yet, Grunt. But she  will be here  soon .  Jack will pick up here soon, and you know how this woman drives.”

 

Together, they move to the living room, where James let the Krogan be the one to put down the boxes under the tree. The big mountain of a warrior giggles like the teenager he is when he sees the stocking hanging from the mantelpiece with his name on it. James has explained him about human Xmas traditions, and how his so-called battle master wants him to be a part of it. At first he hasn’t understood it, but Shepard has helped, as the rest of the human crew, showing him pictures of their younger selves enjoying the festivities with family and friends. 

 

Liara, Kaidan and Miranda helped him to set the table, while Steve takes the host role, welcoming everyone who calls the door. Soon the full crew of the Normandy is sitting or roaming around the living room. When they are finishing setting the cutlery down, a big commotion makes them join the rest, finding a very pissed Garrus being dragged like a potatoes sack over Bakara’s shoulders. The full team is laughing their souls out, with tears rolling down most of the faces. Liara is trying to keep her composure while recording every single second of it. Garrus sounds more pissed than ever, mixing some Turian swears with the common language, “Damnit Bakara! Put me down already! We are here, I can’t run anywhere, and you requised my weapons! I can’t even take my revenge on you.”

 

Tali steps beside him, touching his face between giggles, “Come on, love. Don’t be mad.”

 

“Traitor.”  Bakara put him down, and he is soon surrounded by his friends, who hug him in group until the grumpy soldier has to break down his mask and  join the happy atmosphere. “ I’m still pissed, with all of you, but now that  I’m here, better if I  join the party.”

 

James has the brandy on  his hands before  Garrus can ask for it, “Glad to have you here, Scars. Blue thought of you and brought this.”

 

Garrus disentangles himself from his friends, moving in front  James and picking up the bottle from  his hands , “I’ll take my revenge some day. And be warned,” He raises his voice, but winks at  James before keeps talking, “ Now I have special ops team on my service.  It will be a good idea to sleep with an eye open for now on.”

 

His girlfriend surrounds his waist with both arms, making him laugh, “Come on, grumpy.  It has been the only way to make you come!  We need to be here with her. Palaven  can survive a couple of days without you.”

 

But before he  can answer him, a car honking  in front of the house makes them jump.  James face changes to a broad smile, running to  the door , hearing with only half his brain how Kaidan ask everyone to stay put and in silence to surprise her. When he reaches  the door and opens it, Shepard is  in front of him. They look to one another for several seconds, stupid twin grins plastered in their faces.  At last, James is the first to react, “Hello there, Lola.  Welcome  home .”

 

The pet name makes her grin grow even bigger, and she raises a brow, moving a hand to rest on  James ’  chest , “ Home , huh? I like the sound of it.”

 

The next heartbeat Shepard is surrounded by  James ’ arms, pulling her closer until she can wrap her own around his waist,  face buried on his  chest . They are not crying, but the feels are so powerful that even Jack, the quick mouth biotic, keeps her silence beside the car, Shepard’s bag hanging from a shoulder, giving them the moment they need. After some minutes, she pulls away,  hand moving to cup his  face , “I’m finally home.”

 

James  kiss her then, sweetly and lovingly, with all the love he can muster,  hand sliding from her back to her nape,  fingers caressing her skin. When he broke the  kiss , they are both grinning like idiots, foreheads joined. At last Jack had  enough , coughing exaggeratedly behind him, and making them giggle, “ Enough , lovebirds. I’m here. Show me the place, at least.”

 

With revering  fingers , he takes her hand, kissing Shepard’s knuckles before pulling her inside, “Yeah, sorry. Come on. I have a beer with your name on it.” Turning to  face his girl, he smiles at her, “Lola, do you mind if I cover you  eyes ? A little surprise awaits for you in the living room.”

 

“ Xmas already?”

 

He kisses the top of  her head ,  smiling against her, “More or less.” Moving a  hand to  her face , he covers  her eyes , using the other arm to guide her inside the house. The rest of the team is waiting for her around the big  Xmas tree, catching their collective breath. A lot of them haven’t seen her in months, or even awake, and now here she is,  smiling and walking by herself.  James lowers his  face to whisper on her ear, “Merry  Xmas , Lola.” When the  hand fall, she stops breathing, mouth opened in awe, while  her eyes moves from one to another of her friends. Liara waves timidly, muttering a _‘Surprise’_ and then the gates are open. Tali and Miranda run to her, hugging her from both sides and making her giggle. Soon Traynor joins the  hug , with  EDI patting  her head from a side. Jack leans on  James , a smug smile on  her face .  Surprising Shepard this way is the better present she ever had. 

 

One by  one , all her friends takes a moment to  hug or kiss her, exchanging a few words with her. The last  one is Garrus, who stands in front of her with a serious  face and the arms crossed.  Shepard smiles at him, mimicking his pose, “How bad is it?”

 

“Hell,  Shepard . You were always ugly. I can show you how to apply some  face -paint on it, and no  one will even notice.”

 

The rest of the  team look to  one another, not knowing what is happening, until  EDI giggles softly, breaking the facade  the two seasoned warriors had put on.  The two of them explode in laughs, with  Shepard grabbing Garrus hand before pulling him closer and giving him a half hug. “I’m glad you are here. And I always will be the beauty  one on this  team , Vakarian.”

 

The door sounds again, and Chawkas steps into the living room with Hackett, Kasumi and Michel.  Shepard is trying very hard not to cry, but the telltale watering of her eyes betrays her. 

 

For the next hour, all the group mingle, old friends exchanging tales of their last months adventures, taking turns to stay beside Shepard and talk with her about everything. Wrex shows her the pictures of their sons, and the one they have called Mordin turns immediately in her favourite. She was a girl, as Wrex has promised, but she is one of the cutest things Shepard has seen, and she promised Bakara to visit them soon to meet her. When the oven pings, Kaidan stands first, dragging Steve with him. A minute later, his voice reaches them from the kitchen, “Dinner is ready!”

 

James stands too, helping Shepard and kissing her head, “Liara, will you bring the team to the dinner room? We’ll be there in a minute.”

 

The Asari smiles at him, raising from her spot in front of the hearth graciously, “Come on, loot. The table  is ready .”

 

When the last of them has left the  room , he wraps his arms around  Shepard , hugging her close. “Did you like your  first present ?”

 

A hand slide from his  back to the nape of his head, fingers playing with the short hairs. She pulls slightly  back , enough to look into  his eyes , “I got my  first present months ago, when I opened my  eyes and you were there. Whatever I have after that, pales in comparison.”

 

James rolls  his eyes , but can’t keep the grin at bay, “Sappy.”

 

“You  love it.”

 

He kisses her softly, pulling her up until he is keeping her on her tiptoes, “I  love you. I learned how to deal with your sappiness.”

 

Shepard hits his shoulder, “My favourite idiot.  I missed you .”

 

“ I missed you too, Lola. Now come on. I want to see how good Kaidan’s culinarian skills truly are.”

 

The rest of the evening is uneventful. The food is great, the booze flows freely around the table, with Chawkas and Hackett leading one side of it and Shepard and James on the other side. They laugh and tell jokes, exchange news and adventures, talk about everything under the sun, the reconstructions on every planet, the military forces of the mixed army, Kaidan’s admiralty, James’ teams, Garrus’ special ops, Tali’s work on the Geth… Time passes by, with the easiness of old friendship, of shared memories and new goals, of fulfilled dreams and new opportunities. Soon enough, the desserts are filling the table, making everyone growl at the enormous quantity of food that still lined the table. James just shrugs, eating a piece of chocolate covered fruit, “Eat whatever you want, or if you are ready, we can move to the Xmas tree!”

 

He has just finished his sentence when half the team is already moving to the living room, making him chuckle while he helps Shepard to stand and follow them. Grunt has proclaimed himself the master of the presents, sitting in front of the tree, ready to distribute the presents. He does it perfectly, fishing the pile of boxes until every person in the room has a present on their hands. The presents go from tiny pieces of tech to weapons or clothes. Jack is the one surprised the most when her present was revealed, a full week vacation for two on Illium’s moon. The two biotics exchange a glance before the brunette winks at her. Everyone knows who will be the +1 on Jack’s holidays, but they keep their silence. They will share it when they are ready. Grunt begins again, and again, until just Shepard’s biggest presents remain under the tree. She opens them. The new N armour awaits for her on the biggest one, a present from Hackett and Chawkas. The other big box is a new shotgun from Garrus, the first one created by the Krogan-Turian weapons division.

 

Kaidan and  Steve leaves the room, returning shortly with a tray of glasses filled with champagne, and together they toast for the Xmas and for Shepard’s return.  Steve pushes James shoulder, tilting his head to the mantlepiece with a frown, making the younger man shudder. It is the time. With a nod, he exchanges the box for the  glass on his hand, hiding it behind his back when he moves closer to Shepard. “I have a last present for you, come with me, Lola.”

 

She nods, passing her  glass to Miranda with a shy smile before letting  James guide her to a side  door that leads to a covered  terrace . Once he closes  the door , silence surrounds them, the  light blocked by  the door , leaving them just the moonlight to see. But soon their eyes grown used to it, and the silver  light guides them to the railway of the  terrace . Near the big windows lay a couch, and  James makes her sit on it with him. “Did you liked your Xmas eve?”

 

“I adored it. Thank you,  James .  Coming home to you has been awesome, but all of this feels like the cream of the cake.”

 

He smiles softly, a hand caressing her face with the back of his fingers, “Glad to hear it. But I have another present, a special one.” She tilts her head,  waiting for him to continue, “I’ve been thinking about it for months, but now I’m finally ready to give it to you.” He puts the  flower in her lap,  waiting for her reaction. 

 

Shepard takes  the box on her  hands , raising it, “I remember this  flower .” She is smiling, looking at the red  flower floating  inside the box , “Thank you, James.”

 

His nerves are about to make him explode. His hands are sweating, and his heart thrums inside his chest, but they are here, she is with him, on their home… Best chance he will have. Taking a deep breath, he puts a hand on the box, “The real present is hidden inside it.” She moves to open it, and he stops her, moving the hand to his face and kissing every finger, “Let me finish first, love.” She nods, fixing her gaze on his face, “A lot of things have passed since I gave you this flower. Our relationship was real before, but we never talked about future\-- Dang, we doubted we will have any future to live. But when I gave you this flower, our life together begun. Since I saw you opening your eyes, slowly recovering the light on them and the softness of your smile, the future I have been ignoring hit me in the face. Now I see a life, one with you, filled with love and peace, and that’s my present. This box has a stasis field that will preserve this idea, those feelings, until you want to take the next step.” Turning the box in her hands, he shows her the simple gold band resting behind the flower. “You can keep this flower as long as you want, I’m more than happy with how we are right now, how I feel about you and us. But if someday you want to take the next step, pushing forward and joining me in a new adventure, here it is. Open the box, free the old memories and leave the space for the new ones.”

 

She is shaking. He senses it through their joined hands. But her eyes, even glassy with unshed tears, are fixed on him with a determined gaze. Picking up the box between both hands, her fingers search around it until she finds the button that opens it. A digital beep signals the deactivation of the field , and the flower fall to the bottom of the box. James can’t breathe, can’t think. She is already opening the box when he covers her hands again, opening it himself and picking up the flower and the ring in his big hands. Freeing the gold band, he puts the flower on her lap before stealing the box from her fingers and letting it on the couch. James grabs both her hands between his and breathes deeply before talking, “I love you, Jane Shepard. I’ve been in love with you all my adult life. In fact, I believe I’ll been waiting for you all along. Together we have experienced the best and the worse the military life can give, but here we are, at the end of that road, with a new path in front of us. So I will ask it formally if you don’t mind. Jane Shepard, will you marry me and take that step with me?”

 

For several seconds, the only sound around them is the crashing of the waves into the shore.  James is beginning to sweat again, doubts and regrets eating  away his hopes. But she seems to feel it, hands moving to cup his face, “ Yes ,  James Vega.  Yes, yes, yes, and a thousand times yes.  You are my life. You have been the light that guided me  away from the darkness, keeping me not just with live, but alive. I’ll be your companion in this adventure.”

 

James explodes then, throwing himself against her and hugging him crazily, pestering her face in kisses until she breaks laughing. “ I love you , Jane.”

 

Shepard plants a soft kiss on his lips, smiling against it, “ I love you too,  James . Thanks for the best present a girl  can have on a Xmas eve.”

 

With a mischievous  grin , he puts the ring around her finger, kissing the palm of her hand, “Oh, don’t worry there, Lola. Some extra presents wait for you on our bedroom. I’ve been saving them for months.” The movement of his brows shows clearly his intentions, and she  can only  grin with him.  The night is going better and better, but what makes it even perfect, is thinking that is just the first night of the rest of their lives. 


End file.
